A Forbidden Friendship
by Apollo's Little Angel
Summary: A son of Ares and a daughter of Apollo become friends against all odds. They have a a friendship that must stay secret for the sake of their cabins, but what happens when this forbidden friendship leads to forbidden love?
1. Chapter 1

His snake skin eyes gleamed with hate. His breath was heavy and uneven. I looked at him, slightly scared, slightly concerned, completely enthralled. His aura was glowing red and the symbol of Ares shined above his head. I looked back down at his feet, where the golden remains of the hellhound laid.

"Hey," I said awkwardly. "I know you must not trust me. I probably look like a crazy person, but I can help you." I turned to the top of the hill, pointing to my camp. "Come with me and I can explain everything."

The boy looked at me with such force and anger, I had to remind myself that he was just claimed by Ares and was still on an adrenaline high. His blonde hair was marred in several places by dried blood. He didn't say or do anything for a while, but fell in line with me after I turned my back on him.

I tried to suppress my knowing smile. "My name is Cassandra, daughter of Apollo, god of music, healing, and a bunch of other stuff."

"TJ... Son of Jennifer Jarrell, mother of me and my younger sister," he retorted curtly.

_Oh joy, _I thought. _This ought to be fun._

* * *

So maybe I judged TJ a bit harshly when we first met. I gave props to him for being so calm as I explained how his life has changed. At first, I must have not been very clear, so Chiron told me it might be best if he saw the orientation film,

After that, he came to his sense. Or rather, his human response.

"The fuck is this?"

"This," I said, opening my arms to our surroundings, "is Camp Half-Blood. And you, are a demigod."


	2. Chapter 2

**To clear up any confusion, Max and Cassandra call each other sister or sis as a term of endearment, not that they are actually sisters. And shout out to my first reviewer! Thanks a bunch! Okay, bye.**

* * *

I didn't see TJ that much after I introduced him to camp. Maybe it was because the Aphrodite idiots and a few other girls were constantly drooling over him. Maybe it was the fact that he made some enemies fast, but made friends even faster. Or maybe it was because he was claimed by Ares. My brothers and sisters have never gotten along with _them_ for very long, if at all. Part of me wanted to be friends with him; he seemed pretty nice, but at the same time, I couldn't cross my siblings.

"Does it really matter?" Max asked me one day, as we were loading our bows for practice. "I mean, look at Percy and Annabeth. They were supposed to be enemies but became friends."

I laughed. As if anyone could ever be so lucky as to have what Percy and Annabeth have. "They ended up falling in love with each other. I'm pretty sure they had a crush a crush on each other since their first quest."

My best friend moved the hair from her eyes. "Whatever you say, sis."

* * *

"Hey," someone said from behind me as I was putting my bow away. I turned to see TJ.

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"Not much," he admitted. "I need a weapon."

We spent about ten minutes looking through the shed, trying to find him a new weapon. It wasn't that he wasn't adjusted to the different types- he just couldn't choose which he liked best. Was it the sword? The throwing knives? What about the knife with the brass knuckles? Oh, look over there! Guns!

In the end, I was tired, so I told him to just take them all. "It's not that big a deal. Ares and Hephaestus's cabins usually have more than just one weapon."

That night, at dinner, Will was in a heated debate with another one of us about how the Broadway musical, Wicked was better than Green Day, when my sister, Delilah, nudged my shoulder.

"I saw you with that new Ares boy in the shed earlier," she giggled. "Imagine how Will would react if I told him. Do you think he'd be as mad as he is now?"

I glanced over at my brother. His hair was in his face, slightly flushed, waving his hands around for emphasis. "Gods yeah."

Delilah smirked. "So now the real question is what will you do to keep this little _thing_ under wraps?"

That's when it dawned on me. I laughed, pulling my ponytail a little. "Whoa there, we are not, like, together or anything like that!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes! If that's what you thought, you're very wrong." I was starting to get very annoyed with my sister. Like she knew anything.

She shrugged. "I'm sorry if made you mad. It's just that Drew-"

"Oh!" I said, ready to punch someone. "Drew? Drew is making up rumors about me? Well that's too bad because she's a bitch and everyone knows it."

Delilah sighed. The look in her hazel eyes said everything.

"Whatever. I don't have to explain myself to you."


	3. Chapter 3

Out of spite, I started to hang out with TJ more. We would do our own thing from time to time, but over time, Max and I became close friends to him. More me than Max, because Connor kept trying to talk to her. She always said that he was so annoying but she couldn't help but like him.

After practice, sometimes TJ and I would watch her get pranked by her "enemy", how she would yell and he would laugh at her. Sometimes she would laugh back, sometimes she would turn away and cry. That's when he would chase after, just to make sure she was okay.

"Y'know," TJ said as he sharpened his knife, "She could just tell Connor she likes him. It's obvious, even to him and it's clear he feels the same way."

"Why can't he tell her then?"

My friend laughed. "It's an ego thing. You wouldn't understand."

I rolled my eyes. "If you say so."

"I do."

"Okay then."

"Okay."

* * *

I was about to go to archery practice when Will came up from behind me.

"What's up bro?"

He looked at me with his eyes cold as ice. "That TJ guy has been here for about a month and ever since you have been making a fool of us."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "A fool of who?"

"US! YOUR CABIN? I know you don't understand, but that's because you're just a kid-"

"I'm sixteen, I'm as old as most people at this camp!" My heart was pumping with rage. He didn't know what I knew, how I felt or anything else. How could he? The only person I ever talked to was Max.

"Then why can't you have a little pride in who you are?"

"So what if he's the son of Ares? He's not an ax murderer, is he?"

"HE MIGHT BE!"

I scoffed. "You're un-freaking-believable. Whatever. If you don't want to be friends with someone, that's you're issue. But you are not going to tell _me_ who I can and cannot be friends with." I walked away before the threat of tears gave way.


	4. Chapter 4

People must have seen my argument with my brother because so many of them kept asking for details. I told them the same thing ever time.

"He says I can't be friends with TJ because he's in the Ares cabin, but fuck that. I don't have to listen to him if I don't want to. He's my brother- not my dad."

Max stood by me, unlike some other friends of mine. They thought that being friends with TJ was a bad idea because already he'd gotten into some minor trouble. Or so they _heard_. Rumors. You have to ignore them.

"Hey TJ?" I asked after sword practice. "Will you pour this bottle of water on my head? I'm too tired to."

"So lazy," he commented, pouring the water anyways.

"You know me."

"Yes I do."

Laughing, I used his arm to get back on my feet. "You want to sit next to me and Max at the campfire tonight? I never see you there."

"Sure," he glanced behind me. "Heads up, Drew and Lucy and coming."

When I turned around, I saw him leave from the corner of my eye. Of course. Leave me to the demons of love.

"Hey," I said curtly. No need to make either of them think I actually want to talk to them.

"Is TJ your boyfriend?" Lucy asked. "Because if he is, I will back off, but if not, I call dibs!"

I ground my teeth. I hated when people called dibs on guys. They are not food, idiots. Stop treating them like a piece of meat. "No. We are just friends."

Drew smiled, an evil glint in her eyes. "Well then. This should be fun."


	5. Chapter 5

I brushed Drew's little comment off as a way to get me upset, but I slowly realized that she wasn't just toying with me. She was up to her no good Aphrodite charm. As TJ would fight in the arena, she'd be there ready to pounce on him like a tiger. If he was eating she'd send him flirting glances and blow kisses to him. It was cliche and most girls would look stupid doing this, but on Drew it seemed less stupid. Key word: less.

I was fine with it, really. At least, that's what I told myself. I didn't need to run his life for him and he didn't need me to be his mother.

I was canoeing with Percy one afternoon when I saw TJ walking away from another failed flirting attempt from Drew. I felt my body tense up.

"Bitch," I whispered under my breath. I had a grudge against Drew and her sisters for sure, but I never felt this angry before. I felt as though they were trying to compete with me in a game I wasn't play, which annoyed me.

"You know they do that because it's their nature and because it annoys you," Percy said, trying to calm me down.

"Well they are doing a fabulous job."

He laughed, "I haven't really talked to him, but TJ seems like he has a brain and won't fall for their tricks."

"They still piss me off."

"Why?"

I sighed, not sure how to put my feelings to words. "I guess it's just that they never bothered either of us before they thought be were together. They don't really care about him like I do."

"So you're jealous?"

My face burned brighter than my dad's sacred cows. "No. He's just a friend."

Percy looked as if he wanted to say more, but didn't push me. He just shrugged and told me everything was going to be okay.

* * *

As we slowly made our way back to shore, I noticed that Max, Connor, Travis, Katie, TJ, Drew, and Annabeth were all waiting for us.

Travis and Katie were sitting in the sand, hand in hand, laughing around something or other. Annabeth and Percy went into their lovey-dovey trance too, hugging each other and walking away. But before they left, Percy looked at me and said, "There's no shame in how you feel."

_Thanks, Percy._ I thought, smiling to myself. "Hey, guys!" I called, running over to my friends. "What's up?"

"TJ HAS BEEN OFFERED A QUEST!" Drew squealed, practically yanking his hair from excitement. The look TJ gave me said it all. He hated Drew and was ready to kill something. "He's obviously going to take me on the quest with him!"

"Actually I'm not." _Score one: TJ,_ I thought. "I'm taking Connor and Cassandra."

"Me?" I asked, eyes wide. "You want me to go?"

"Yeah."

I wanted to go. I really did. But with my feelings so confused and my thoughts running wild, I could not risk hurting him or Connor on the quest. "I can't. I'm sorry. I just don't think I'm ready for my first quest yet."

"Okay," he said, slightly sad. He turned to Max. "Are you in?"

My sister turned to me for approval, which I granted hastily. She smiled bright and gave me a big hug. "I'll watch over him, I promise."

"Watch over Connor, silly. He's the one that can get hurt."

That night, I watched as my friends left for their quest to find the Golden Apple. It wasn't a major quest, I admit, but it was something and I was proud and happy for them.

_Father, _I prayed that night. _Please protect Max, Connor, and TJ. I love them all. They can't be hurt during their quest. Please. I am begging you to watch over him... them, I mean._


	6. Chapter 6

My prayer was not as effective as I'd hoped. Every night I had nightmares. Nightmare after nightmare, unable to shake free from them. I woke up so many times screaming and crying. First it was TJ trying to get everyone to safety and Max falls behind. She's eaten by a monster. Annabeth traumatized from having another encounter with cyclopes. Every night the night terrors got worse and worse. I Iris messaged them a few times, checking in on them. They were usually on the run or sleeping, but I didn't care. Max, Connor, and TJ were all alive and made it back to camp.

I sat down with Max, taking a break from sword fighting. We sat near the steps of the big house, quietly watching the other campers train. I saw Annabeth and Percy, hugging. It looked like Annabeth was crying and Percy was being her aid. As usual. They were the dream team. _Percabeth all the way_, I thought. I quickly scanned the crowd of demigods to try to find Connor. He wasn't his usual happy, devilish self. He seemed more grounded, less playful.

"What was it like?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Was it really that bad?"

Max couldn't help but burst into tears. She looked me in the eyes and all I saw was pure sorrow. "I can't describe it... TJ... And then Annabeth... The quest hurt them in more ways than one. I'm sorry. It's not my place to tell. Connor looks like he needs a hug. I need to go see him."

I huffed, unsure of what to do or say. My best friend left me sitting there, like a waiting duck. I was about to brush it over my shoulder when I saw TJ leaving his cabin with River. Or rather, Raven, River's reincarnation. I wasn't surprised that they'd become friends. They were the "better" side of Ares. I smiled, deep in thought.

I didn't even notice Will when he came over, but I found my shoulder being shaken by my older brother. "We should talk."

"What's up?" I asked, brushing my hair nervously. This was not going to end well.

He sat down, and didn't look at me. If I had an uneasy feeling about this before, the feeling must have quadrupled at that point. "Look, I know TJ and you were friends-"

"Are friends," I intervened testily. _Not this again._

"-And I know that you have feelings for him," Will continued, as if I never interrupted. "So I'm just saying that even though I know this will not end well and you are going to get hurt, I can't stop you from dating him."

"No shit," I muttered under my breath. _Not that we are together, but still._

"But as cabin leader, I do expect you to not hug or kiss. Nothing intimate. You're too young for that."

"I'm sixteen."

"You can hold hands and talk, but that's all I want you to do for now."

I rolled my eyes. Whatever. What were the chances he even liked me anyways? _He's probably going to fall for a girl from Aphrodite, considering how beautiful they are. Also, Aphrodite? Ares? Ring any bells? I don't need to get my hopes up for nothing, after all._

* * *

That night at the campfire, something happened. It was small, or maybe something big, depending on how you look at it. But it was amazing. Drew and her friends managed to charmspeak me into singing in front of everyone, which was a fear of mine, because I was so shy, but then as I sung Longview by Green Day, TJ chimed in, helping me play the guitar. It wasn't like we were singing a love song or something even about friends, but there was a sort of magic there that felt... nice.

"Thank you," I whispered, unsure if he could hear me over the sound of cheering, but it felt good to say it anyway.

* * *

My dream was something of a nightmare, but at the same time not really. It's hard to explain, because at the time, I was so unsure of my feelings, but I will do my best to explain.

TJ and I were talking as we went to school in the mortal world and my brother passed us in the hall. Will's eyes were practically red with rage, but I ignored him, smiling my I-know-I'm-about-to-piss-someone-off-but-I-don't-care smile and kissed TJ right on the lips.

I woke up at that point, looking around at my surroundings and sighed. Flopping my head back down on my soft pillow, I mentally noted that I officially had a crush on my friend, the ever popular, TJ.

_Bring on the drama, Aphrodite, _I thought bitterly. _You just _have___to put me through this pain all over again, don't you?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! Sorry for the really late update. School. Need I say more? But as an apology, I'm uploading a few more chapters today and hopefully they will be a bit longer. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

So, what do you want to hear? Do you want me to tell you that I told TJ about my crush on him upfront and honest, with enough confidence that Beoncye herself should take notes? Hah. Sure... If you wanted to hear that, then this is not the story for you. I don't write about fantasies and dreams. I'm sky, awkward, strange, and weird. I like it that way, don't get me wrong, but it does have its disadvantages at times. Besides, I had to keep my feelings a secret. Will and the other were already freaking out about my friendships and this new little fact would only add onto the new, worsening tension. Things with my cabin and TJ's never got any better, but it really sucks when even Chiron _and_ my father can't find a solution.

It all began Monday morning. I was sitting on the dock, playing my guitar. As I sung along to the song "Breath" by Michelle Branch, I felt amazing. I was an early bird, like most other campers in my cabin, but I liked to get up a little earlier than them ever morning, so I could have alone time. Max used to wake up early, dispite her hatred of mornings to hear me play and we would talk about everything and laugh about anything. I sighed, slightly sad.

_Ever since she and Connor... She's not around as much_, I thought. _Then again, I've been distant from her too. _I made a mental note to myself saying that I needed to stop retracting from my friends and family. It was hard to notice when I was starting to notice my old habits coming back into play, but when I did, I knew I had to whip myself back into shape.

Whip. Ew. I hate that word.

Anyway, I noticed the sun stretching across the horizon and I couldn't help but feel proud. Some people had to wait all day to see their parents, if at all, but I knew mine was always watching over me. Leo once told me that Hephaestus keeps an eye on all his children using his technology. Maybe my dad did the same. Like, when I do something good and that warm feeling of sunshine warms my skin, that's my dad's way of saying good job. Perhaps, all gods and goddesses did that, in their own special way.

It took me a second to realize that my dad was not making his usual rounds. He actually stopped his car at camp. That only happened on rare occasions, very few of which meant good news, but I couldn't help myself. I smiled, running to him.

"Daddy!" I ran into his arms, not greeted with his usual warmth radiating off his skin from his hugs, but to a cold aura. I looked up at him and he wasn't even smiling. "I've missed you," I told him, trying again.

"Where is Will? And who is this TJ?" Wow. He never took that kind of tone with me before. What was going on?

He ignored me, striding to the Big House, where Chrion waited. I followed him, trying to listen.

"... Ares is ready to kill someone!"

"With all due respect to both you and Lord Ares, he's always ready to kill someone."

"My daughter is getting herself into something she can't handle."

"It's the teenage years. They might be godly, but they are also human."

I heard something being thrown across the room. It must have been heavy. It sent a shiver up my spine. Something told me this argument was about me.

"She is my youngest daughter and she has lost all sense of pride in my name!"

"How half-bloods act reflect more about who they are than how you act. You know this."

The wood where my dad was standing was starting to heat up. It was literally turning red. He took a deep breath and calmed the small flame starting to burst at his feet. "I don't want them to be friends. She can't handle him or anyone else for that matter. She can spend her time with her siblings if she gets lonely."

They continued to argue, but I ran away in tears. I couldn't handle all this happening all over again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Just a heads up, his name is pronounced "Mick-eye". You'll know what I'm talking about when you get there.**

* * *

By that time campers were starting to emerge from their cabins and make their way to breakfast and there was no way to stop the tears at that point. I knew there was no hiding and no faking. Everyone would see me as nothing more than a crybaby. _Let them_, I thought. _How cares about them_?

I sniffed, whipping my eyes. _I am strong enough to get through one meal without crying. And if not, forget about it. It doesn't matter what they think of you._

I kept up that mindset from the beginning of my breakfast to the very last sip of strawberry and banana smoothie. Will, Hannah, Ricky, Mickae, and Samantha kept looking at me, but I ignored them. Actually, I ignored practically everyone. See, unlike most people, I can't just cry. I tear up, cry, and if I can't get happy at that point (which I rarely do) I end up sobbing like someone just died.

It's not healthy.

It didn't help that I offered my bacon to Ares this morning instead of my father, like I usually did. Ares was misunderstood, a fact that I knew well, but never actually cared about understanding until right then and there.

_Lord Ares, thank you for sending TJ here to camp. You have no idea what it means to me to have him in my life._

And the truth is, he didn't. No one did.

* * *

Remembering my anti-social antics, I forced myself to spend my day with Max. We did out activities together and had a lot of fun. We even went old school during our free time and made friendship bracelets.

"So how are things with you and TJ?" She asked.

"Nothing new, really," I lied. I loved Max to death. Really, I would do anything for her, but she had a reputation of being the camp's loose-lips-Lucy.

"Oh... Okay." We were silent for a moment before she poked me with a nearby stick. "Guess what!"

"What?"

"Connor kissed me!"

"What?" I smiled, knowingly. I knew what was going on before she even told me. I was just waiting to see how long it took her to tell me. _Four weeks._

Max went on and on about how Connor was this amazing guy and I couldn't help but laugh at her. (Internally, of course.) She acted as if I never met the guy. I knew exactly what he looked like, how he behaved, and all that. It was nice to hear her so happy. I had almost forgotten what a real, healthy relationship could do for a person.

Eventually, she left to go meet Connor, so I went back to my cabin.

There, all my siblings sat at their beds, like they'd been waiting for me.

"Hey sis," Mickae said. "We need to talk."


	9. Chapter 9

If you thought I could not have felt any worse than I already had, you, my friend, are dead wrong. I felt like someone shoved a cannon ball down my throat and it hit the bottom of my stomach in an aching heap. The last time we "talked" it didn't end well, and I had a strange feeling this talk would end similarly.

I sat down on my bed, trying to prepare for what I would say to combat their argument. Let me tell you, it's hard. It's like studying for a test but you don't know the subject.

"Dad came by the cabin earlier today and talked to us," Will started out. _Oh boy._ "And he is worried about you. He says that you are not fully ready to be in a friendship with someone like TJ."

I had to literally bite my tongue from going off in rage.

"And we think that you might just be getting lonely again," Samantha added. "Or maybe you're just bored or trying to rebel, which we understand, but you need to understand that... Mickae- What word am I looking for here?"

"It's not okay to be friends with the enemy." That's Mickae for you: always so brutally honest.

I closed my eyes, counting to ten, trying to ignore their words. They kept saying all these really mean things about Ares and his kids that I just couldn't take it. Eventually, I screamed bloody murder and tried to make a run for it, but Will held me back, afraid of what I would do. Hannah went to an extreme to lock the door.

_What the fuck? I'm not a mental case!_ I was still screaming and trying to stand up, but failing. I couldn't help it. The words, tone, flashbacks- it was all too much to process all at once.

The pain was too much like the last time. I broke free from my brother's grip and ran back to my bed, which had a window beside it. Opening the window, I jumped out. I felt free and open, like I was able to finally catch my breath and breathe. _Thank gods of Olympus the cabin don't have two stories. I'd have broken my neck jumping from that high._

"Y'know," a voice said. "You're pretty reckless."

I looked up and groaned. Of course it just had to be Simon, son of Ares.


	10. Chapter 10

And the award for the suckiest day of suckitude goes to... Cassandra, the worst daughter of Apollo in history! Let me tell you what you've won! You get:

A verbal beating down, just before being pushed to the ground in a relaxing puddle of mud, and the cleaned off with the finest toilet water found in the boy's bathroom!

Lucky me.

I had no line of defense to fall back on, so I had to just take the beating like a man. I couldn't clearly hear his words because the toilet water was messing with my hearing but if I had to take a guess it would have something to do with me and TJ. The only thing I could hear him say was "bitch", as he walked out the bathroom stall, leaving me there, hurt and alone.

I sat there, trying to piece myself together. It took me about five minutes to decide that things around camp were becoming all too familiar. I had to run.

* * *

Writing music and poetry helps me think. It always has, so I relied on that to tell me how to write my going away paper. I was about to finish my sad good bye song, when someone from behind me snatched my notebook of songs away. I turned around to see TJ, reading it intently.

"No." He said, a cold, steel look in his eyes. He wasn't mad. He was determined. Like he would not have it any other way. I knew that look because it was the one I gave myself all those years ago.


	11. Chapter 11

Does it surprise you that TJ was concerned? It surprised me, though looking back on it, I'm not sure why. I mean, I endured a lot within the course of a few short hours, but I thought given the circumstances I was doing a good job of keeping my composure. Whatever the case he thought that it gave him the right to physically toss me over his shoulder and take me to Zeus's Fist, so I could be alone and had free reign to cry. The Fates weren't _always_ cruel, were they?

"Do you want to talk about it?" TJ asked, keeping me at a short distance. I almost laughed. He gave me just enough room to feel open, but if I chose to run, he'd have me pinned to the ground before my foot was ready to take off.

I thought about it. I really did, but even though I trusted him as much as Max, I couldn't help but squirm at the idea of telling him everything. _I could tell him part of it,_ I thought. _But then I wouldn't be able to stop. And he'd never talk to me again after that._

I stumbled to find my words, only to cut off my sentence after the first letter was pronounced. _Perfect. Now I'm stammering._ "Um... I could actually use a distraction right now."

Usually when I said this to my siblings, they would not distract me. They would say I needed to face my problem head on and talk about it. TJ was nothing like my siblings.

"I nearly shot Chiron today at archery practice."

I felt my eyes nearly pop out of my head. "What?"

He smiled, laughing, putting his hands up. "Hey, it wasn't on purpose and it wasn't my fault."

"Uh-huh."

"It really wasn't."

I scoffed. "Sure it wasn't." I felt a little pride knowing that TJ had done something stupid. He wasn't so "perfect" after all.

"It was actually Connor's fault."

"How so?"

"Well Max was on one end of the range and he saw her and thought it would be funny to try out the Golden Mango thing again. It didn't work thankfully, otherwise you'd be helping nurse me back to health in the infirmary, but I got my arrow tangled in Chiron's tail." I had a hard time not laughing. "What's so funny?" He asked, pretending to be mad.

That's when I let my laughter free from my lungs. Giggles filled the air and I couldn't help but feel instantly better. "It just reminded me of Percy's first time shooting and mine too. We sucked."

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything- simple things to complicated questions neither of us had the answer to. It was nice to just act like normal kids for once, a luxury I hadn't had for a very long time. Camp really changes you. It is a lot of fun and I would never change that for the world, but things changed with TJ. And I liked it.


	12. Chapter 12

That night I had a dream that scared me so bad, I'd rather have my soul sewed to Hades's clothing. His underwear even.

I was back at my mortal house, my mom not at work for once. Max, Connor, and my step dad was there too. We were all happy. It was snowing lightly outside and the fireplace was roaring softly in the background as we watched Christmas specials, drinking hot chocolate. Then there was a knock on the door. Even though I was not expecting company, I opened the door and there stood TJ with flowers and chocolate.

"Merry Christmas, honey," he said smiling. I let him in and together we sat on the couch, just enjoying being together. He wrapped me up in his arms and kissed the temple of my forehead. And just as I looked up at him, ready to return the favor, I woke up in tears. It was sad and made me cry. Not because it was sick and twisted, like it was something that was disgusting and I hated, but in the sick and twisted way, because I knew it would never happen.

_Aphrodite, if you're listening, or even care, I have learned my lesson already._

"Hey!" Max was smiling wise. "How are you?"

I looked up from the book I was reading. It was the ideal day for reading. I was sitting in the soft grass, near the strawberry field. The sent of strawberries and ocean breeze filled the air. There was a nice, thin breeze in the air, which countered the sun's rays perfectly. It felt like spring, though it was almost the end of summer. _In fact, tomorrow is the day campers can go home. I need to answer the letter... _"Hey! I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm alright. TJ and Connor are doing "boy stuff", so that means they should be smashing a giant potato here soon."

I raised an eyebrow. "Smashing a potato?"

She shrugged. "Or something to that extent. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that Percy is looking for you."

_Damn._ I saw it coming but didn't prepare for it. What was I going to say? "Okay, thanks for telling me."

I found Percy by the sea, trying to teach Nico how to swim. "Kick your feet," he said, trying to hold Nico afloat. He ended up getting kicked in the mouth, at which point Nico stormed off, clearly upset from frustration.

"Hey, Percy." I walked down to the shore line, letting my feet sink into the wet sand.

He smiled. "Hi, Cassie. I wanted to talk to you about school."

I swallowed hard, keeping my emotions in check. "Okay."

"Wanna go to the zone?"

"Sure."

Percy and Annabeth and I had a special place we liked to go when we wanted to be alone. Well, they found it one day, but they showed it to me and said I could come back, but only if I promised to talk to them about how I was feeling. At first, it was used a lot, but other the past two years, not as much. Not because I didn't need it- the Fates know I did- but I didn't want to always talk about it. I didn't want to annoy anyone with my drama and bullshit.

But, they found out that if you traveled far enough out from Long Island Sound, there was a small strip of land, perfect for clearing your mind. I called it Blest, after the Isles of Blest, because it was like paradise.

Once we reached the beach, I rolled my jeans up and stuck my feet in the water, giggling as Percy willed a small school of fish to softly nibble at my toes. _Just like the old times._

"Are you going to Goode this year? Or are you still staying at the other school?" I was quiet. I never liked talking about this. "... Or are you going to stay at camp for three years straight?"

"My mom wants me to come back home, but I'm not sure I want to or not."

"You live thirty minutes away from me if you walk. Less by car. If you have many problems, come by and we'll help you. You know that."

"I know."

"Mom and Paul love you," he said, going on. "And they know about the situation, so we will always have your back."

"Thanks." I meant it to sound sincere, because it was, but it sounded lame. "I mean, really. Thanks. I just... I just don't know what I'm going to do. I didn't talk to Mom except for 3 letters in the past two years. And two of those were my mom's. I only replied to the first after the sent the second one, worried I didn't see the first."

Percy laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

I nodded my head, deep in thought.

It was a simple question, so why didn't I have an answer?

_Do I stay or go?_


	13. Chapter 13

I skipped the campfire and went straight back to my cabin that night. I was all alone, so I would have plenty of time to think. Hidden inside my pillow case was the letter my mom sent me one month before.

_My Dearest Cassandra,_

_I am sorry things turned sour the way they did. Things always seem to go wrong for our family, don't they? Like the universe just doesn't want us to be happy. At times the thought of that makes me sad, but then I think of you. Chiron says that you have become a skilled archer. I near master, were his exact words, if my memory serves me right. You have made something of yourself when it got tough for you. I take both pride and comfort in that, my dear. _

_You will want to know that over the past two years, we have made a lot of progress, whether you are ready to believe that or not. I imagine not, because you never seem to find time to write, which is okay, but I would like to remind you that you are always welcome back. We want to move on as a family, but we can't do that without you. You're my daughter and I love you very much._

_By the way, your friend, Percy- he goes to Goode High School, right? Or has he graduated already? In any case, you can go there for schooling, if you want. The choice is up to you. I will not always be around and as a part of life, you have to grow up too. You need to start making decisions for yourself. It does not matter what anyone wants. It's what you want. You're life is in your hands and you must live it to however you see best. And always remember that I love you no matter what._

_- Mom_


	14. Chapter 14

Things only got worse. Harsh words slung from one end of the room to another. Jack didn't love me. Didn't even like me. He thought I was nothing in comparison to his mortal son, Blake. I was the source of all the unhappiness and misery, pain and suffering this "family" had to deal with. He thought that if I really cared, I'd stop being who I was, stopped defending myself from always being yelled at from my dad over small, pointless things. I was selfish. If I were out of the picture, he'd live happily.

_Why do you think I left? I_ thought, rage boiling inside me as he yelled. Tears streaming down my face and and hate burning my heart, it took all my self control to not summon all my demigod strength and hurt him when he pulled me down the stairs and continued to beat me.

My mom wasn't home. She never actually witnessed the severe punishments and I lied about some of them, but she knew her second husband abused me. That's why for the longest time I hated her. But I can't help but love her. When she defends you, you can feel and hear and see how truly protective and loving she is. Not only that, but one-on-one, she can be something of a best friend. (When she's not too busy trying to make Jack happy, that is.) She deserved to stay with my dad, but he had to leave.

As strange as it might sound, both my parents can see through the Mist. It's strange how even though Jack knows I can't help what happens when I'm in the mortal world, he still hits me for it. _He does it because he knows you won't fight back_, I reminded myself. I lasted about five days before leaving. It stung, thinking about the day before last.

"Hey, Cass," my mom came into my room, smiling. "Do you want to go see Wicked? I know it's your favorite Broadway musi-" she gasped, seeing the carnage from my last beating. "What happened?"

I sighed. My usual lies would not work. I hated when that happened. Talking, I realized long ago, only causes even more, bigger problems.

"Jack hit me. I deserved it. I did all my chores wrong then gave him attitude. We started fighting verbally and one thing lead to another and..." I motioned around my face. "This."

The swelling in my eye died down a bit and wasn't as black as it was a few hours ago, but it was still bad. My arms were red, bruised. Jack had actually gone to the extent of spanking me to the point I was bleeding.

_Why don't I fight back?_

My mom left the room with tears of anger. Not too long after that, they were fighting for the millionth time. They threatened divorce. That was nothing new, but it never stopped hurting. I cared about them. Before, I would always try to make my dad proud, but never succeeded. After a year, I went back to not caring anymore.

The pain and hurt I was feeling emotionally and mentally hurt too much. I was weak. I ran away again.

Running to Percy's house, I prayed to my aunt, Artemis. _Protect my mother under the moonlight. Please._

I didn't know whether or not Jack ever hit my mom, but I didn't want to take any chances.

I was in deep hypertension by the time I reached Percy's place. I couldn't bring myself to knock on the door, but I must have been louder than I thought, because Sally opened the door almost as soon as I got to the front porch. She ushered me in, saying something- probably words of comfort- but I couldn't hear. She made me warm blue chocolate chip cookies and milk, then brought Percy and Annabeth into the kitchen to talk. Perfect, I thought. I'm being a nuisance. They were nice,listening to me. I told them about tonight, but nothing more. I didn't tell them about the memories. It was decided that Sally would drive me back to camp in the morning.

I was fine with that, but if I did, Will and the others would not be happy. Not at me, but at Jack. Even they didn't know the whole truth, but they knew enough to know I was tramatized and mentally unstable. They'd be concerned I'd start cutting again or commit suicide. Weighing my pros and cons was hard. "_Home_"_? Or camp?_ In the end, I, of course, chose the sane thing to do. I comforted myself by saying, At least at camp they act the way they do because they care. Not because they want you dead.


	15. Chapter 15

Sally drove me back to camp and hugged me goodbye, sending me back to every half-blood's safe haven. There, I stopped at the boarder, playing with Peleus the dragon, before trudging on. I met Chiron at the base of Half-Blood Hill, running into his arms. I know I'm a hot-headed idiot who can't follow rules to save her life, but Chiron was like a father to me. Even though we had out differences, he still loved me. He loved all the campers.

"Is everything alright, my dear?" He asked, concerned. "Are you okay?" I nodded a little, not admitting to anything. The bruises and tears spoke for themselves. How he chose to interpenetrate them- monster attack, self-harm, an act of abuse, or otherwise- was up to him. "Then you'll want to go unpack."

It always amazed me how many campers went home during the breaks. Clarese, Chris, Annabeth, Percy, Drew, Lacy, Max, Connor, and TJ were the only ones I recognized. Or rather, the only ones I bothered to talk to.

In my cabin, Will and three others chose to stay, but more or less left me alone. Clearly they were still pissed off at me.

Max helped me unpack my things. She told me about all the things I missed in the past five days I was gone.

"Drew tried making another move on TJ. He ignored her at first, but then told her to back off, because he thinks he might have a crush on someone else." Max was smiling, giggling a little.

I laughed, a little hurt hearing my crush liking someone else, but wanted him to be happy, so I acted like nothing was the matter. "You're acting like such an Aphrodite girl," I comment as I pulled out my dress. It was not anything too over the top, but it was nice. Every year since Camp Half-Blood made peace with Camp Jupiter, Chiron let us have a dance to celebrate. He would not go to the extent as to call it a "prom" (because let's face it- the first and last prom was when Annabeth was a kid here at camp and that was a disaster) but that's more or less what it was. I never had a date, but I always liked to go, just to be there. I hated being around people, but even I couldn't deny the girls and boys from Aphrodite and Demeter working together to create a beautiful atmosphere.

"Well," I said, brushing hair away from my face. "Let's hope she doesn't do anything stupid to hurt him."


	16. Chapter 16

The night of my return, I had a huge plate of food, because I was about to make a lot of offerings to the gods.

_Ares, thank you for giving me strength to hold my own the past few days. Aphrodite, thank you. It hurts to hear TJ has a crush on someone who isn't me, but as long as he's happy, I am too. Artemis, please continue to watch over my mother. Dad, help me reason with my brothers and sisters. They are still upset. Help me._

The war games were suspended, because even though there were about fifty to a hundred kids, we were outmatched. Athena and Ares's cabins were full, while most other cabins left. It was an unfair advantage, so instead, we stargazed at the beach.

I smiled as Clarisse and Chris held hands gingerly, almost afraid to touch. It was cute how shy she really was when it came to love. Not that I could blame her- I never said anything to TJ for the same reason. On the other side of the beach, Percy and Annabeth were holding hands and leaning on each other. They were laughing like school kids, which was cute to watch.

_Relationship goals, _I thought to myself.

I was about to go to bed not too long after that, slightly depressed. There was too much love going around that I couldn't think straight. I had to keep love at a distance, I reminded myself. _Fuck that. When did you ever follow the rules? _I stayed out as long as we could before turning in.

I sat alone at the beach, not wanting to bother anyone with my bad mood, but when everyone was leaving, I ran to catch up with Max and TJ. We dropped Max off at her cabin first.

"Night, sis." She smiled and gave me a hug. I returned the favor, whispering, "Keep your room window open tonight." She looked at little confused but nodded in agreement anyways.

As TJ and I talked, I couldn't help but feel my insides about to burst. We were talking about a plastic foot when I blurted everything out.

"Hey, TJ?" I turned to look him in the eyes but quickly looked back down at my feet. "I just wanted to tell you that I really like you and I wanted to tell you sooner but I couldn't until now."

If the night was quiet before, at that point, it was practically as silent as a cemetery. A cemetery for our friendship.

"I know," he said eventually. "And I feel the same way."


	17. Chapter 17

Here is a quick shout-out to all the girls who have crushes who confuse them, because DAMN! TJ confused me so bad for a week before we decided on anything.

That night, I ran back to Max's room, spilling my guts about the entire thing and she nearly had a screaming attack that would put even the most girly of girls from the Aphrodite cabin to shame.

"THAT'S FUCKING FANTASTIC!" She whisper-yelled, trying not to wake any of the other kids in the cabin from their sleep (and failing miserably).

Jenna, the girl sleeping above Max on her bunk, threw a pillow down at us. "Leave. The. Cabin." She moaned. We giggled like school kids and ran out into the woods, going not too deep where monsters were, but just out of earshot from any eavesdroppers.

"And then," I said, smiling like a dope, blushing, "he said, 'And I feel the same way'!"

"NO WAY!" She hugged me one last time before teasing me. "Now then: Don't let him eat your cookie until the third date!"

It took me a moment to process what that even meant, but then I found myself on my side, literally crying from laughter. The night went on with us carrying on like all was good in the world. Which it was. I was completely over the moon.

I had my first boyfriend.

_NOT!_

Well, not at the time at least. For the next few days, TJ and I acted as if nothing happened, which confused me. Then, out of fear of rejection, I went to the girls bathroom and sent him an Iris message.

I saw him laying on his bed, talking to River (or rather Raven since her reincarnation) while playing with a knife with brass knuckles. When he noticed me, he said something to Raven in her ear, probably telling her to leave. (Which she did, thank the gods. I knew I was about to make a fool of myself.)

"Hey," I squeaked, barely able to talk right.

"Hey."

_What the fuck do I say now? What the hell is wrong with me? Is it possible to be sent to the Fields of Punishment for embarrassing someone to the point of torture? _I thought, then mentally slapped myself. _Stop being so dramatic. _Playing off oh so smoothly, I said, "'Sup?"

Told you- as smooth as water.

He always knew when I had something on my mind. And when I felt awkward. And at the moment, I was both. "Nothing much," he said, trying to ease the tension on my end on the IM. "What's up with you?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"I don't see why not."

"Are we together? I mean I told you I liked you last Tuesday and it's Saturday now and I don't know what we are."

"I don't either." Ouch. "But we should probably talk about this in person okay?"

I felt like I was about to faint. "Okay." I waved my hand through the Mist, smiling nervously. _I have a chance,_ I thought.


	18. Chapter 18

Let me save you some time:

The next day: I tried talking to TJ and he said he didn't know what he wanted. I ran away.

Day two: I ran away.

Day three: He said the same thing, but I managed to stay for a little longer.

Then, on day four, I wasn't able to meet up with him in the morning, before training like before. That night, he Iris messaged me saying that he wanted to talk to me.

"About what?" I asked, tuning my guitar from my bed.

"Anything."

"Okay," I said, trying to think of a topic to think about.

"So what are you up to?"

"I'm tuning my guitar and listening to Green Day."

"Green Day is cool."

"Yeah," I said. "My favorite."

"I know."

_We are running around in circles, _I thought. _We talk about this all the time..._ And that's the way it was: we would talk about the same thing more or less every day, unless we managed to find something new to talk about. With anyone else, this would be very boring to me, but with him it was totally different. I loved every second we talked. It was like I couldn't get enough of it. It wasn't hard to make me laugh, but when you make me laugh with every other sentence... Well, TJ had that special ability. With him, I could forget everything.

"Yeah, I know you know. What are you doing?"

"Playing with my knives," he said, twirling the knife in view of the IM rainbow.

"Nice."

It was then that Will and the others came in. I groaned, saying goodbye, before grudgingly swiping my hand through the mist. "Yes?" I asked.

"Why do you IM him when you could just as easily walk a few cabins down?" Will asked, annoyed.

"Because if I do, I'm bitched at for it. Not that I care what you think; I just don't want to hear about how scandalous I'm being by talking to a boy."

My brother's eyes burned with resentment. "You know that's not what's going on."

I scoffed. "Sure as hell seems like it. Like, Hades- get a grip."

"You want a boyfriend," Kimi, my sister, piped up. "Fine. Do what you want."

"No!" Will yelled, throwing his iPod across the room. "Stipulations need to be made."

My head was swirling out of control with confusion and anger. "Whatever," I mumbled, slamming the door.

_It's my life and I will do what I want._

"Where do you think you're going, sunshine?" Turning around, ready to slap someone, I saw my dad.

"Apollo?"


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey, sunshine." Apollo was not angry or upset. He looked neutral, almost unsure; like he was not sure if I was his daughter or not. He wore the same jeans and white t-shirt, like he usually did, he had his chariot is sports car mode, like he usually did, smiling the same as always, but the look in his eyes gave off a different message. His eyes read, CAUTION: I'M AN ALL-POWERFUL GOD, DO NOT TEST ME, MORTAL.

_Very_ welcoming.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, unsure of what to say.

He motioned me to come closer, so I did. "Come with me. We're going to take a ride."

Miles high in the sky, I shot arrows with my dad, while the chariot was in autopilot. We talked and laughed, like nothing had ever changed. And on the surface, nothing had, but there was the tension on the inside that said things would never be the same again. After the first few weeks at camp, you learn to listen to that feeling.

Eventually Dad spoke up. "I hear this TJ guy is your boyfriend."

I blushed, not able to look into his eyes. "Dad-"

He cut me off before I had the chance to tell him to leave me alone about it. "That's fine with me."

I was taken aback. "What?"

"It's fine with me that you see him, but that doesn't mean I won't be watching you," He warned. "I don't want you to hug or kiss. And you need to have dates in public. You're not allowed to be alone together. No talking after 9:00, because you need to sleep more. I don't want you talking to boys until morning."

I rolled my eyes. "Is there anything I _can_ do?"

"Yes. You can hold hands. And I _suggest_ you don't roll your eyes at me, because I can just as easily keep the two of you apart."

I closed my mouth instantly. _If TJ decides he wants to be with me, then I can't screw it up_, I thought. _Not one little bit. _

And that everyone, is exactly what you say to alert Aphrodite to add some "spice" into the relationship.


	20. Chapter 20

After archery practice with TJ, he pulled me aside. "Hey."

"Hey." I felt the eyes of Drew baring into my back like knives. Did she always have to be involved with my life? Apparently so.

"So, I've been think and I want to be your boyfriend."

Shock ran up my back like lightening. It literally took two full minutes to formulate a proper sentence. "Really?" _Oh yeah, that was smooth._

"Yeah."

"I'd really like that, too," I managed, looking down at my feet.

"So I guess this means we're together."

"I guess so."

"Yay," he said, not sure what to say next.

"Yay," I laughed, taking his hand in mine.


	21. Chapter 21

It was going great- I had an amazing boyfriend, my best friend with her man, and my life felt like a cliche movie, which I appreciated, since those moments were far and few in between. That's when things got interesting.

I was in class, learning Latin with Annabeth as the teacher, when I Connor passed by, dropping me a note. _TJ says to tell you he broke his foot._

At first I didn't know what to make of the little piece of crumpled up paper, but then I thought it was a weird joke for about a split second, then felt my heart sink. He was hurt. My eyes darted around the room, looking for some sort of distraction, but I found none. I felt like shit, because that meant I would actually have to wait to see him.

Even then I think I knew just how much I would come to love him, without fully realizing it yet.

At the end of the day, I went to the infirmary. TJ was laying there, foot propped up. "Hey," he said, like nothing was wrong.

I ran by his side, peppering him with a million questions. He answered them all as I worried about his foot- looking at it, touching it gently, trying to help in some way, but broken bones were not my specialty. TJ was at the mercy of Will.

"Oh, Cassandra!" A sickly-sweet voice rang from the door. Drew... That bitch needed to get the fuck out of my life before I put her in the bed next to TJ... But move the bed over enough so she couldn't touch him. And maybe duct tape over her pretty little mouth. "We need you at the archery range. Lacy needs assistance."

I rolled my eyes, seeing through her lies. The only person she was interested in assisting was TJ. _Because she's a- let's not go there,_ I told myself. _TJ wouldn't cheat on you. Hello, he told you he wanted you seven days ago. Just chill._

I left the room, jealousy forgotten. Lacy did in fact need help, so I gently guided her her arrow the right way, keeping her arrow straight. By the end of the day, I was only able to see TJ once.

In fact, the next two months were filled with nothing but "helping" people. I suspected my siblings had something to do with that. They still didn't like me with my boyfriend, but that didn't mean I had to listen to them. They would tell me to little things back and forth, doing this and that, or whatever they wanted, just so that I didn't get to see him. It fueled me with so much rage, I nearly acted like I used to, but managed to keep that anger under control. After all, it wasn't like TJ was completely out of my life _and_ I would be able to see him more, once his foot healed.

I was looking on the positive side of things, not thinking about anything that could go wrong. After all, how could it when I was so happy with him? _My TJ, _I thought, liking how it sounded. That night in bed, I said those words over and over in my mind. _My TJ. _Then, I let the words slip through my tired lips.

"My TJ."


	22. Chapter 22

Needless to say, I was whipped. I didn't care though. I was happy being the whipped girlfriend, because TJ was an amazing boyfriend. Once his foot was better two months after the accident (which I found out was through playing football with his brothers) we spent as much time together as we could. It was sweet holding his hand. Eventually, I managed to work up the nerve to defy my dad and hug him- _Ooh, watch it Dad, I'm a real rebel_.

Yeah right.

What was the harm in a hug or a kiss anyway? Not that I tried to kiss him before. I was still too new at the girlfriend thing to do that yet. But that didn't matter at the time, because holding hands, hugging, and talking was enough. Sometimes at the campfire we would even cuddle a little.

Despite what happens a lot with relationships, I still spent a lot of time with my friends. In fact, I made _more_ friends because I was with TJ. He had a lot of friends and they would talk to me too. Other people were just curious, wanting to know more about the latest news in who's dating who, etc. I ignored those people, much like I do everyone I don't like.

I told Annabeth this one day as I was helping her find her laptop, which she'd "misplaced", not "lost", as she kept telling me. She laughed. "But you hate nearly everyone."

I laughed too, throwing a pillow at her softly. "I know, genius. Which just proves that of I like you, that means you're really fucking special!"

"But you do know that's why you don't have many friends, right?"

I gave her a half smile and shrugged. "Meh, it's best to have a few really good friends- like you, Percy, and Max- than it is to have a bunch of fake friends.

"Touche."


End file.
